Many existing Optus postpaid mobile customers will be hit with a larger phone bill from August. After increasing its pricing for new customers back in May, Optus is now moving some of its existing customers onto its new plans, which are more expensive in many cases.
Customers on the $49 per month plan with 30GB of data will be bumped to a $52 plan with 50GB, while customers on the $59 per month plan will swap to a $62 plan with 180GB. While these plans include more data, the average postpaid customer uses around 16GB per month according to the ACCC. Some customers on older plans may see an increase as large as $6 per month.
When asked about the price rise, an Optus spokesperson told WhistleOut that the decision was made "due to the increasing costs to maintain and provide a great network experience".
"We understand that unexpected events and expenses can make it difficult to keep up with regular payments," said the spokesperson. "Our team is here to help. If any of our customers are experiencing financial hardship, we encourage them to please contact us."
Optus has started emailing affected customers. The price rises will kick in from the first bill customers receive after August 5.
The price impact may also impact customers paying off a phone on an Optus plan. While handset repayments won't change, the plan's base fee may increase if the customer is on an affected plan.
All Optus postpaid mobile plans still include unlimited data capped at speeds of 1.5Mbps after the primary allowance is exhausted, discounted access to Optus Sport, and $5 per day international roaming. $62 and up plans have unlimited international talk and text to select destinations.
When Optus refreshed its plans, it cut the price of its 360GB from $89 per month to $82, and added $20 of SubHub credit. Existing customers will not be moved to the discounted plan, but can manually change to it. Customers on Optus' $69 plan with 220GB - which was discontinued - won't be moved to another plan at this stage.
Here are Optus' postpaid SIM-only mobile plans:
|
#1
|
Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
|
#2
|
Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
#3
|
Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
|
|
#4
|
Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
|
And for comparison, here's a selection of SIM-only plans powered by the Optus network with at least 20GB:
|
#1
|
SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
|
|
#2
|
Dodo
Small Mobile Plan
$25.00/mth
Min. cost $25
|
|
#3
|
Aussie Broadband
Saver 5G SIM Plan
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $30
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
Coles Mobile
$35 Mobile Plan
$35.00/mth
Min. cost $12
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
Optus' news follows Telstra announcing it won't up its mobile plan pricing in July, as it has done in the previous two years. Vodafone increased its mobile plan prices back in January.
Here is how Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone SIM-only plans compare:
|
#1
|
Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
|
#2
|
Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
#3
|
Telstra
$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$74.00/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
|
Update (5:30pm 13/06): Added clarification that customers on Optus' $89 mobile will not automatically be moved to the cheaper $82 plan
Alex Choros
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